German Innovation Award 2026

Sustainability, resource efficiency, and design quality are among the key requirements of modern product and vehicle concepts. Natural fiber composites such as Natural Fiber Polypropylene (NFPP) already offer advantages in terms of weight and material usage, but until now they have mainly been processed as hidden components and were rarely used as visible design elements.

What was needed was a solution that not only integrates sustainable materials functionally, but also enables high-quality design surfaces - industrially scalable, recyclable, and with a high degree of design freedom.

With the decoration technology developed by KURZ, NFPP can no longer only be used in hidden applications, but can now be intentionally showcased and visually enhanced. A specially developed decorative surface structure based on polypropylene bonds with the natural fiber composite under heat and pressure to form a stable matrix. This allows the natural fibers to emerge at the surface and become a defining design element.

The result is surfaces with a natural feel, visual depth, and versatile design options - ranging from monochrome looks to multicolor gradients and individual patterns.

In addition to its aesthetic impact, the solution also delivers technical advantages: The components are significantly lighter than comparable plastic solutions while still meeting a wide range of structural requirements. At the same time, the mono-material thermoplastic structure maintains recyclability. Together with partners such as POLYVLIES and FRIMO, KURZ developed a stable and scalable process for industrial series production.